Points of interest

The Vaskina is located on a plateau, 15km northwest of Leonidio. It consists of two villages, Upper and Lower Vaskina, built at an altitude of 800meters.The road from Leonidio to the plateau of Vaskina is upward and sinuous as it passes between the Tsakonian Rocks. Today Vaskina has few permanent residents, mostly farmers, who keep […]

Tsakonian rocks feature the town of Leonidion. These red vertical cliffs rise up to 300 meters high above the town. The Tsakonian rocks in the position they are, and having a southern exposure, affect the climate of the valley of Leonidio. They protect the valley from the north side, while on the warm days they […]

The town of Leonidio is built under Parnonas Mountain on the sea coast of Myrtoou. As a centre of Tsakonia and the capital of Kynourias for the last two centuries, the city got its name from the church of St. Leonidas. The town is closely connected with the sea throughout its historical path. Since the […]

After the monastery of Elona, the road climbs to 900 feet and crosses the plateau of the village Kosmas. Kosmas is a village, situated at an altitude of 1150 meters above the Parnonas, close to the borders of Laconia prefecture. The village is surrounded by forests of tall firs and chestnut. It is characterized by […]

The monastery of Elona is built in a steep rocky slope above the gorge Dafnona. The history of Elona begins in the 14th century when the icon of the Virgin and Child miraculously appeared at this inaccessible place which is now the monastery. The monastery was built in the 16th century and it flourished during […]

Approximately one kilometre west of Leonidio the torrent rivers of Dafonona start to form a gorge. As the road climbs to the monastery of Elona the steep cliffs of limestone rise up while imposing gorge deepens. The gorge Dafnona which was a result of water eroding and transforming of limestone over millions of years, is […]

The contemporary area of Geraki is a settlement in the SE of Sparta with panoramic views of the laconic valley of Taygetos. The area’s history reaches back several millennia, and as the findings have shown this place has been inhabited by people nearly 6,000 years ago. The medieval castle of Geraki, with scattered Byzantine churches […]

Heading south, leaving behind Mari, one of the oldest villages of Kynourias, the road descends to the southern foothills of Parnonas. At the foothills of the mountain, the change in scenery is dramatic. The influences of dry and hot Mediterranean climate combined with long grazing on vegetation characterize this area. On dry stony slopes due […]

Within 10 kilometers west of the Peleta we come across the Kounoupia. This village is built at an altitude of 800 meters and has many stone houses which have retained the characteristics of Tsakonian architecture. The fir tree forest that surrounds the Kounoupia acquires special importance. The fir in such extreme environments tends to take […]

After an uphill journey of about 10 kilometers south of Leonidion, we reach Tsitalia. From Tsitalia southward extends a large plateau with scattered villages at altitudes of 600 to 700 meters. First comes the Pirgoudi then Amigdalia, Peleta and Houni. Typical landscape is shaped by the firm but gentle human use for centuries. The most […]